DEBATES
The Power of the Games – Touching Peoples’ Lives Debate
Leading a debate for young people
The aim is to encourage informed debate that explores the Power of the Games
in a way that is relevant to young people in the UK and around the world.
Your role as debate Chair is to lead the debate and to provide the background
information to inform the discussions.
Suggested format (for guide only)
Debate Chair Introduction and storytelling
Open debate led by debate leader
Consensus and conclusion
Total time
10 minutes
15 minutes
5 minutes
30 minutes
Research and Preparation
1. Look at your topic and come up with a title - try and make it relevant,
imaginative or alternatively wacky for example “Power of the Rings”.
2. Research the topic and then draw out a powerful story that illustrates the
topic (story telling is one of the key skills in debating), use short films and
pictures to illustrate your story which will help to bring it alive. One of the
best places for research is the IOC site.
3. Build in your personal take add some of your own observations around
the story. You will need this for the introduction, the explanation of the
story and the introduction of the debate elements.
4. When you are clear how you want to precede, draw up a few questions
to start the discussions for example - Why do countries place so much
emphasis on... Who benefits from a boycott?.
5. Make a crib-sheet and put your DVD and photo’s on a memory stick.
6. Think about how you will bring the debate to a consensus and draw a
conclusion around - “How the youth of today can use the Power of
the Games to…..”
Topics
Nations and Nationalism:
1. The Olympic Truce and a force for peace - transcending boundaries –
athletes going to the Games can travel across some of the toughest
border controls in the world with their accreditations; some say an Olympic
accreditation is more powerful than a passport during the 6 weeks of the
Games. Athletes travelling to the Ancient Olympics travelled under the
Olympic Truce. In modern times there have been amazing stories of
Nations coming together as one team to compete at the Games, of
athletes from Nations at war standing on the podium together in peace.
(ideas: see IOC DVD: Nelson Mandela friends and adversities – Story:
Russian and Georgian Shooters in Beijing).
2. Nations boycotting the Games – a weapon against your enemy – during
the cold war in the 1980’s, countries of the East and West boycotted the
1980 Moscow and 1984 LA Olympic Games. Devastating the Olympic
dreams of many athletes in that era, were these massive national displays
instrumental in changing politics? In the UK, Team GB was divided and
the athletes found themselves pitched against the Thatcher Government –
three key athletes in the battle were Duncan Goodhew (founder of the
Youth Sport Trust), Seb Coe (chair of LOCOG) and Colin Moynihan (Chair
of the BOA). Were the athletes used as pawn’s in a global political game?
Do politics and the Olympics mix? Has the Power of the Games through
Boycotts been used for good? (Ideas: - 1980 Moscow and 1984 LA
boycotts – removal of South Africa from the IOC membership of the
Games).
Terrorism and the Games:
3. A global window for terrorism - today one of the biggest costs and the
greatest fears of any country hosting the Olympic Games is a terror attack.
The Games are simply the biggest show on earth and a perfect place to
get the world’s attention. In Munich in 1972 one of the most horrific
terrorist attacks was carried out on the Israeli Team and in Atlanta in 1996
a bomb went off in Centenary Park. Is this an example of when the Power
of the Games is being used for good? Who are the victims and who are
the victors? (Ideas: Darkest Day Munich DVD BBC Greatest Olympic
moments).
The Power to change discrimination:
4. Black athletes and the Games: - in Mexico in 1968 two US athletes
stood on the Olympic podium and raised their arms in the air wearing
black gloves. Different sections of the public interpreted the black salute in
different ways, some were fearful of a militant race war while others saw it
as a brave demonstration of a suppressed people. At the time the US
officials punished the athletes in question. 40 years on looking back how
do we judge the events of that day? How important has the Olympics been
in overcoming global racial discrimination? (ideas: Black salute DVD BBC
Greatest Olympic Moments; Cassius Clay - DVD BBC Greatest Olympic
moments)
5. Seeing the hidden athletes: the Paralympics’ has had a radical impact
on the way countries view their own communities? In China in the 1060’s
the state declared that they had no people with disabilities in the country,
yet in 2000 they had registered 1500 athletes with disabilities. In Beijing in
2008 three million watched the Paralympic Games and in some of the
venues the Paralympic crowds were bigger than three weeks earlier for
the Olympic Games. How did Beijing 2008 help to break down barriers to
China’s and the worlds understanding of people with a disability? What
messages does this send to young people today about disability?
Mass media and the Games:
6. The rings and the colour of money – The Games are the biggest show
on earth, and with it comes the world’s media, which outnumbers the
athletes. Broadcasters pay billions to hold the broadcasting rights and the
audience figures run into billions. TOP sponsors pay huge sums to have
the rings on their products but can’t even advertise in the field of play.
What messages are the broadcasters giving and what is the impact on
young people? Is it a good message? Can it be improved? Can Young
People influence the messaging? Should they?
The Power of the Games: Crib sheet:
Debating and discussion topics 30mins
Brief:
Title
Introduction: (5mins)
Outline of story: (5mins)
Debate questions and statements (20mins)
Resources: (photos and DVDs)
Our plans for The Power of the Games – Touching Peoples’ Lives debate